Automatic clutch mechanism for coal-jigs.



G. E. REYNOLDS.

AUTOMATIC CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR COAL uqs'.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, l9l6.

1,217,502. Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- Witnesses Inventor Attorneys G. E. REYNOLDS.

' AUTOMATIC CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR COAL J|G S.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2. 1916.

1,217,502. Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Z; j Z] Q ifilfiglfldls Witnesses Inventor ,K/ nxmm. by

Attorneys GEORGE EDMOND REYNOLDS. 0F WYOMING, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC CLUTCH MECHANISM FOR COAL-JIGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Feb. 2'7, 1917.

Application filed June 2, 1916. Serial No. 101,395.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE E. REYNOLDS, a-citizen of the United States, residing at Wyoming, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Automatic Clutch Mechanism for Coal-Jigs, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to coal jigs, and is particularly an improvement over the coal jig shown in my former Patent No. 1,166,078, granted December 28, 1915.

It is the object of the invention tov provide a jig for separating coal from slate or rock, or for separating substances of different specific gravities, and equipped with means whereby the jig is automatically relieved of its refuse by a conveyer or elevator which is operated automatically by the accumulation of slate, rock or other refuse within the jig, a slate or rock stratum of the desired-depth being maintained upon the screen under all conditions to provide for the perfect separation of the coal and refuse.

The invention embodies "means for auto-.

matically connecting the refuse conveyer or elevator with and disconnecting it from a .driving shaft or element as the depth of the refuse within the jig increases and decreases, respectively, whereby when the refuse accumulates within the jig up to a certain depth, the refuse conveyer is automatically brought into operation to carry out the surplus refuse from the jig, and after the level of the refuse is lowered to a predetermined point, the refuse conveyer is automatically stopped, thus maintaining a stratum of refuse within the jig of a predetermined deptl at all times for the proper operation of the jig. 7

As a more specific object, the invention aims to provide a novel and improved automatically operated clutch mechanism for the refuse conveyer, controlled by a member within the jig adapted to rest upon the refuse.

It is also the object of the invention to provide a mechanism of the nature indicated which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in construction, which. can be readily installed upon various coal jigs of the plunger.;'-;.-type, and which serves its oflice; in a thoroughly practical and efficient manner.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without depart ing from the spirit of the invention.

. The invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure lis a sectional view of a coal jig equipped with the present mechanism, portions being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the clutch mechanism, portions being shown 'in section.

Fig. 3 is a section'on Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2, portions being shown in elevation.

The jig is of the same general construction as that shown in the above mentioned patent, and embodies a tank 1 partially filled the line 33 of with water or other liquid, and providedwith a partition 2 therein. A plunger 3 is mounted for vertical movement within the tank at one side of the partition 2, whereby when the plunger is reciprocated, it will force the water upwardly and downwardly through the screenA: disposed between the partition 2 and that wall of the tank opposite the plunger-3. The coal containing the refuse is delivered onto the inner raised portion of the screen 4 from a chute 5 or other delivery device, and is guided onto the upper portion of the screen by a baflie plate 6. The opposite wall of the tank is provided with the refuse outlet 7 at the lower portion of the screen 4, from which the refuse trunk 8 extends, a refuse conveyer or elevator 9 of the endless sprocket chain type working within the trunk 8 to carry the refuse from the outlet 7 to a point of discharge. Said wall of the tank is provided above the refuse r the shaft 13 and having the integral sprocket wheels 16 for the conveyer 9. The sleeve 15 is provided at one end with a clutch portion 17. The sleeve 15 can remain stationary while the shaft 13 rotates continually, during the operation of the jig. A clutch member 18 is feathered or slidable uponthe shaft 13 to rotate therewith and to move into and out of engagement with the clutch portion 17, whereby to connect the conveyer 9 with and disconnect it from the shaft 13 for bringing the conveyer into and out of operation. The clutch member 18 is provided with an annular groove 19 in Which a collar 20 is fitted loosely, said collar. having diametrically opposite lugs 21 pivotally engaged with the yoke 22 of a lever 23 fulcrumed to a suitable support, as at 24.

One of the bearings 14 for the terminals of the shaft 13 is provided with a bracket 25 to which one end of a spring guiding rod or stem 26 is attached, by means of a bolt 27 or other suitable securing element, and the free end of the stem 26 is bifurcated, as at 28, to receive the lever 23 at that side of the shaft 13 opposite the fulcrum 24. The stem 26 is provided with a coiled Wire expansion spring 29 thereon,

having one end seating against a collar 30 upon the stem 26 adjacent the basal end of said stem, and the other end of the spring 29 bears against the lever 23, whereby the spring tends to swing said lever toward the sleeve 15, to move the clutch member 18 intoengagement with the clutch portion 17. When the bolt 27 is loosened, the stem 26 can be swung away from the lever 23, to relieve the lever 23 of the influence of the spring 29, whereby to render the present mechanism inoperative.

In order to move the clutch member 18 to and hold it atreleased position, a latch 31, which is U-shaped in plan, has its terminals pivotally engaged to outstanding lugs 32 of the collar 20 within the yoke 22 of the lever 23, and the intermediate portion of the latch 31 is arched, as at 33, and is provided with a depending lug 34 engageable with a worm 35 secured in any suitable manner upon the shaft 13 behind the clutch member 18. The latch 31 is adapted to gravitate so that its lug 34 engages the worm 35.

This latch 31 is controlled by the depth of refuse in the jig, and for this purpose a bell crank lever 36 has its elbow fulcrumed, as at 37, and has one arm connected by a link 38 with the arched portion 33 of the latch 31. The other arm of the lever 36 is connected by a bar or link 39 with the depending arm 40 of a lever 41 mounted for rocking movement above the jig. Said lever 41 has oppositely extendin arms 42 and 43, the arm 43 carrying an adjustable counter balance weight 44. Adjustably pivoted to the arm 42 is a depending rod 45 projecting within the jig and terminating above the screen 4. The lower terminal of the rod 45 carries a member to rest upon the refuse, and adapted to be submerged in the coal and water. Said member or head embodies oppositely dished apertured plates 46 having their peripheries bearing together, and having the rod 45 engaged through the centers thereof, nuts or other retaining elements 47 being engaged upon the rod 45 to clamp the plates 46 together. The member or head composed of the plates 46 is .of such construction that when the water surges upwardly to raise the coal from the slate, the coal will be raised above said member, and when the water surges downwardly said member will seat upon the slate, whereby said member is practically held between the strata of coal and slate. Instead of using this style of head, a suitable float can be used, which will rest upon the slate, rock or other refuse of greater specific gravity than the coal or lighter material to be separated from the refuse.

In operation, as the coal and refuse are fed down the screen 4, and as the water is forced upwardly and downwardly through the screen 4, the coal is worked upwardly,

leaving the rock, slate and'other refuse upon the screen. The apertured head of the rod 45 seats upon the refuse, there being a stratum of refuse of .a predetermined depth within the jig under all conditions, controlled by the adjustment of the rod 45 and the counter balance weight 44. The coal in rising to the coal outlet 10 will be carried off by the conveyer 12, and as the refuse accumulates under, the coal adjacent the refuse outlet 7, the refuse will push up the head 4646, and will gradually raise the rod 45 thereby swinging the lever 41, pulling the link 39, swinging the lever 36, and pulling the link 38 upwardly. Assuming that the lug 34 is at the rear end of the worm 35,

to hold the clutch member 18 in released position, when the refuse accumulates within the jig up to a predetermined depth, the lever 36 is operated sufliciently so that the free arched end 33 of the latch is raised to remove the lug 34 from behind the worm 35, thus permitting the spring -29 to throw the lever 23 forwardly to bring the clutch member 18 suddenly into engagement with the clutch portion 17. This clutch member 18 is rotated continuously with the shaft 13, and as soon as it engages the clutch portion 17, the refuse conveyer 19 is operated to carry ofi the refuse from the refuse outlet 7, the latch 31 being held in raised pos1t1on until the head 46-46 is lowered by the discharge of the surplus refuse from the jig. Then, when said head is lowered due to the restoration of the minimum depth of refuse stratum, the lever 36 is operated to move the link 36 downwardly, thus moving the latch 31 downwardly so that its lug 34 seats upon and engages the thread of the worm 35. Said worm is rotated continually by the shaft 13, so that as soon as the lug 34 engages the worm, the worm will force said lug and latch backwardly, carrying with the latch, the clutch member 18. The clutch member 18 is thus moved away from the clutch portion 17 by the worm, swinging the lever 23 backwardly, to compress the spring 29 for the next operation. When the lug 34 reaches the rear end of the worm 35, it is held in this position, thereby holding the clutch member 18 in released position, until the latch is again raised by the subsequent accumulation of the refuse in the jig. The clutch device is thus .automatically brought into and out of connection by the movement of the head or float within the jig which is raised by the accumulation of refuse, and

which settles as the surplus refuse is carried off. The mechanism is entirely me chanical using no electrical apparatus, but is nevertheless quite sensitive in operation, the adjustments of the rod 45 and counter balance weight 44 permitting of the operation of the refuse conveyer at different depths of refuse.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is;

1. In a mechanism of the character described, a clutch, means tending to move the clutch to one position, an operating worm for the clutch, and means connected to the clutch and controllable to be moved into and out of engagement with the worm for moving the clutch to its other position when engaged with the worm.

2. In a mechanism of the character described, a clutch member, spring means for moving said clutch member to one position,

clutch portion, means tending to move said clutch member to one position, a worm operated by the driving element, and a latch connected with the clutch member and operatively connected with the first mentioned member to be moved into and out of engagement with the worm by the change in position of the first mentioned member.

4. In a mechanism of the character described, a controlling member, and controlled device, a driving shaft, said device having a member mounted loosely upon said shaft and provided with a clutch portion, a clutch member slidable upon said shaft and movable into and out of engagement with said clutch portion, a worm carried by said shaft, means tending to move the clutch member into engagement with said clutch portion, and a. latch connected to the-clutch member and operatively connected with the first mentioned member to be moved thereby into and out of engagement with the worm as the first mentioned member moves to different positions.

5. In a mechanism of the character described, a controlling member, and controlled device, a driving shaft, said device having a member rotatable loosely upon said shaft and provided with a clutch portion, a clutch member slidable upon and rotatable with said shaft and movable into and out of engagement with said clutch portion, a loose collar upon the clutch member, a lever engaged with said collar, a member mounted for movement into and out of cooperation with said lever, a spring carried by the third mentioned member to bear againstsaid lever for moving the clutch member into engagement with the clutch portion, a worm mounted upon said shaft, a latch pivotally connected with said collar and having a portion to move into and out of engagement with said worm, and an operative connection between said latch and first mentioned member whereby the, latch is moved intoand out of engagement with the worm when the first mentioned member is moved.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE EDMOND REYNOLDS.

Witnesses:

J. S. Eonnn'r, Mrs. C. Hnss. 

